The Boomtown line-up has finally dropped and it’s filled to overflowing with a tasty treat of artists. Boomtown has moved away from massive headliners in favour of curating a roster of talented acts who are a little more hungry and the deeply delicious menu has any true music fan salivating from the rich and varied flavours.
We at Yack have picked over the mightiest morsels to create a list of some of the must-see acts. Add these names to your Boomtown app wishlist, and while we are on the topic the Boomtown app is a standout in the festival scene for it’s ease of use and functionality, a must have companion for any dedicated Boomtown citizen.
Tankus The Henge
Friday 16:30, Engine House
Expect to be enveloped in the fumes from the fuzzy fugue of smouldering smoky piano hues, oozing New Orleans groove, and frenzied fans who swoon to the tune of frontman Jaz Delorean‘s bluesey croon. Tankus The Henge are a standout on any line-up they feature, and their 4am Shangri-La set at Glastonbury this year is this seasons hedonistic highlight. This is songwriting without equal elevated into the stratosphere by the bands flair for the theatric and ridiculous rambunctious rhythm. Bring your dancing shoes and expect to get dirty.
Inner Terrestrials
Sunday 17:00, Hangar 161
If you take one tip from this list, Inner Terrestrials should be it. In the numerous Boomtown Fair‘s we have been to, we have never missed the chance to catch this quintessentially Boomtownian band. With songs like ‘Just Say Neigh‘ they represent what the festival is at its heart underneath the drug addled haze, which is a mecca for less mainstream music. Never preachy, always powerful, and riff rife for an all out skank fest, we’ll see you in the front row.
Mr Tea & The Minions
Saturday 18:00, The Fools Leap
This is another Boomtown special, a band who have never been absent from the line-up, and if they were we would be genuinely heartbroken. Representing another aspect of the Boomtown sound, their unique brand of — used to find its home in the glitz and glamour of the Uptown but now finds itself snuggled sweetly into the thriving hive of scum and villainy within a more localized cityscape. If you want a knees up then you will find no finer opportunity, bring some energy and get ready to bounce.
Marc Rebillet
Saturday 21:00, Grand Central
If you want an example of Boomtown’s finger on the pulse approach to booking bigger names then Marc Rebillet is it. While Glastonbury struggled to draw a respectable crowd to the mainstage for a few of its misguided “headliners”, it also failed to anticipate the huge draw of some of the other acts on smaller stages. Marc Rebillet is an amazing get, his improvised and innovative approach to making bonkers bangers is utterly unique and a guaranteed festival highlight.
Harry Mack
Saturday 15:00, Grand Central
Harry Mack and Marc Rebillet are the same breed cut from different cloth. The fact that they are playing on the same day on the same stage makes it incredibly likely that we will be treated to some tantalizingly cool collaboration. Harry Mack is hands down and without doubt the single greatest freestyler alive today. He takes prompts from his audience and like a wizard weaves it into improvised tracks with hooks so sharp they will stay lodged in your brain for days after. This isn’t just music, it’s a magic show and a masterclass.
Panda & The Moniums
Friday 12:00, The Fools Leap
There’s something special about Panda & The Moniums, they have an undeniable groove that weaves and winds its way from the stage to tangle around your limbs to drag you to the dancefloor. It’s fresh, it’s furious, it’s fun, it’s fuzzy fueled funk that gets your pulse racing and your feet stomping. Intricate rhyme schemes, jagged juddering rhythm, and captivating choruses all delivered with the passion and power to ensure they are your new favourite band from the first time you are blessed to stumble into the show.
Cam Cole
Friday 16:20, Hanger 161
Cam Cole is an unbelievable talent that you can see live and still not quite manage to process the delightful dissonance drummed up by his one man manic band. Epic in the truest sense of the word this is music so heavy it rumbles the bedrock underneath your feet, a wall of sound so monumentally huge it drops you to your knees in reverence. Come and worship at the alter of innovation and inestimable talent as your face melts from the raw heart of the riffery and your music loving heart melts in a puddle at your feet in awe of the artistry.
Chris Tofu’s Folk Punk Spectacular
Saturday 23:00, Engine House
Before he was knighted, and before he was the head honcho of fantastic festival booking, he was a folk punk pioneer with Tofu Love Frogs. More likely to be seen behind the DJ decks these days keeping the grubby gathered grooving between acts this a rare chance to catch this legend of the scene doing something a little different and we can promise it’s a not to be missed affair. Every band who has managed to put a penny or two in their pockets on the festival scene owes a debt of gratitude to this man and we will pay in sweat and skanking at this show.
Dead Horse Bay
Thursday 18:30, Foggers Mill
We might be biased, given that it’s our band, but Dead Horse Bay might be the greatest act in the world. Explosively excited to officially be on the Boomtown line-up for the first time and fresh from a tour of the stages at Glastonbury and their residency as the Rimski’s Yard house band the current set is eclectically electric. Bound by the bouncing rhythm of the double bass, you can expect elements of hip-hop, blues, folk, punk, and good ol’ rock’n’roll, it’s a classic sip of Boomtown’s multi-genre madness.
